Pastor's Letter 20230430 - 30 April 2023 - The Good Shepherd

[Father Michael]

 

April 30^th, 2023

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Jesus the Good Shepherd.

A Message from Father ^†Michael

Today’s Theme:  “The Good Shepherd”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Acts 2:14.36-41)  ^†Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Risen Lord, and urged his hearers to repent and accept Baptism.  To move the hearts of one’s listeners requires talents to be attributed to the Holy Spirit.  Every leader is also a great follower, who recognizes Jesus’ voice and responds to Him with faith.

^†Peter evoked a call to reform that involved a radical openness and reevaluation of the identity of the Person of Jesus, and of his significance for those who heard him.  True reform requires conformity to Christ, in mind and heart; a daily turning toward, and transformation into the One Who died to sin and rose, in freedom, to life.  

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(1 Peter 2:20-25)  The author urges slaves to bear their unjust sufferings with patience, as Christ, the Good Shepherd, bore His sufferings for love of us.  Suffering is inevitable, and when endured out of love for others, in the name of Jesus, leads to the path of inevitable glory.

At the time of this writing (80-90 A.D.,) the persecutions of the emperor Domitian had become an empire-wide campaign.  So, the “call for patience” in today’s reading is all the more remarkable.  Persecution was not the only form of suffering for the newly baptized—many of whom were also slaves.  They were urged to take Jesus Christ as their model, in order to accept a better way of life.  Early development of Church hierarchy, within the newly-developing Church, can be seen in the comparisons of “shepherd” to “pastor,” and “bishop” to “guardian.”  Both leaders and followers are called to model their behavior on that of Jesus Christ.

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(John 10:1-10)  Every great leader is also a great follower of Jesus, who recognizes the Lord’s voice in the circumstances of daily life, and faithfully responds to Him.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares His love for the disciples to the love of a shepherd for his sheep.  Recognizing the voice of the Lord requires an openness to His Word.

Just as the Pharisees posed a problem for Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish leaders in the evangelists’ day were also a problem for Jesus’ followers.  The Good Shepherd, Jesus, is portrayed as both the Gate through which the sheep must enter the sheepfold, and as the Shepherd, Who knows His own, intimately.  As such, He is the Leader behind Whom all Who recognize His voice—and see Him as the Son of God, and the Savior—will follow.  It is in Jesus, and through Baptism into Him, that the Christian finds their way to the Father.  

Sharing the Story

Jesus told His disciples, “…I came, so that [you] might have life, and have it more abundantly.”  One might wonder if Jesus was only talking about “eternal life,” or also about “this life.”  I’d argue that He also meant these words to be applied to our life on earth, as well.  

It's a commonly-held opinion that to be a Christian means to be identified with “restrictions and prohibitions.”  Many of us were brought up to believe in a theology of detachment from the material world.  Present life was viewed as nothing more than a “time of trial,” full of temptations and sin.  Such rigid spirituality may well discourage enjoyment of life, however, and can lead to “half-heartedness.”  Living like that can mean that we are always “keeping something back,” always living cautiously, fearfully, miserly.  

But I believe we ought to be able to enjoy life to the fullest, while being devout and religious, at the same time.  Of course, to live life “fully,” is not the same as to “live it up!”  We must be able to recognize temptation and resist sin.  

Our lives are wonderfully unique, fragile gifts.  Rather than regretting the past, or worrying about the future, humans should concentrate their attention on experiencing the present.  But, because life is fleeting, it becomes ever more precious.  The Aztecs had a saying: “We do not enjoy this world everlastingly, only briefly; our life is like warming ourselves in the sun.”  

The ”Good News” is that our Blessed Lord, our Good Shepherd, wants us to have life, and live it to the full.  We should live in whatever way life presents itself to us, because everything is a gift from God.  Life is imminently generous for those who prudently seize it with both hands—“Carpe diem,” as Robin Williams told his students (Dead Poets Society.)

Mere existence is not sufficient.  People are simply looking for meaning in life, but the whole experience of being alive—the rapture of living.  We are meant to live fully, intensely; not to feel “cheated” at death.  If one does not live in fear that life will end, they will not regret later that it may never have begun….  

Wounded Messengers of Love

People cannot live without incurring some wounds, along the way.  Compassionate persons who raise children, or contrarily, care for the sick or the elderly, routinely receive plenty of “scars,” for their efforts.  In fact, anyone who has truly loved another human being, or for that matter, has committed themselves to “a cause,” is fully aware of this.  (The “slings and arrows” of hostile public opinion can be daunting—Shakespeare)  Our “attitude” dictates how we will “react” to our wounds.  Human nature would dictate that if we concentrate our attention on wounds, and their pain, we can become obsessed with injury to the exclusion of everything else—it can “consume” us.  

Human memory is a strange thing:  we forget things we want to remember, and remember things we want to forget.  People have reported that when they remember past injuries, they feel actual physical and emotional pain.  But then, someone may see us in pain, and offer something soothing—perhaps, empathy, compassion, or actual physical treatment.  This will allow us to remember that pain is part of life’s journey, and not something for which we should feel self-pity, or shame.  It’s important for us to “remember,” of course, insofar as we learn from our experiences, but not to the extent that it detracts us from our true life’s mission—love.  The poison of pain must not diminish the sweetness of our love.  

Therein, we understand that by solving a problem, not removing it from our memory, it takes on new meaning—keeping in mind that “meaning” is different than “happiness.”  Having endured it, we want our pain to “mean something!”  (On many occasions, this can be more important than happiness, itself.)  

Our Savior bore the wounds of His passion on His body…without hiding them, nor becoming bitter about them.  Because they were an expression of His love, they had meaning.  They were the mortal wounds the Good Shepherd acquired by caring for “His sheep.”  His wounds should serve to allow us to recognize our own, and through them, learn that love triumphs over any disfigurations or scars of life.

May God Richly Bless You!

Brother James' Air.docx

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Edited April 30, 2023 by Father Michael